UNDER-19S CROWNED CHAMPIONS

As the evenings have noticeably shortened, the teams agreed to play just 16 overs each. Coleraine captain Scott Campbell won the toss and, without hesitation, chose to bat first.

Campbell and Paul Douglas opened the innings getting off to a good start, until Douglas was caught by Ross Black with the score on 17. Campbell, who made 24, was joined by Calum McGregor who played an excellent innings, falling agonising short of his half century, on 49 when he was run out as the total reached 90 for 4.

Michael MacRaild added a further 14 as he was stumped off the last ball of the innings with Coleraine’s total on 101 for 5.

As Donemana began their innings they too set about making runs from the outset. The score had reached 18 in the fourth over when Donemana captain Kyle Dougherty was caught by Campbell off the bowling of Matthew Smyth.

Although the batsmen continued to make runs, with occasional boundaries to keep them on track, the only major partnership of 36 runs was ended with Donemana on 86 for 5, as Rishi Chopra caught Gary McClintock (43) on the boundary off the bowling of Rory Handforth.

This precipitated the end of the Donemana innings with two more wickets falling with the score on 87 and wicket number 8 on 88 and the ninth on 90, but a final rally of 11 runs by C Peters and R Laird took them to 101 as Peters was run out on the last ball of the innings with the scores tied on 101.

The best bowling of the evening was that of Rishi Chopra who took four wickets in his four overs for 20 runs. Scott Campbell and Matthew Smyth also took two apiece for Coleraine.

As no rule is in place in the competition to decide a winner in the event of tied scores, the organisers decided that the trophy should be shared and Coleraine and Donemana were declared joint champions for 2012.